Saturday's Critters

It's Saturday and time for Elaine's Critter Meme.  Thanks Elaine.  You are a wonderful host!

I took some little videos of Black Jack this morning.  Hope they work.  They are not of earth-shattering interest.  The first shows her yawning.  :)

In this one, I try to get her to go from a "down" to a "sit" using hand signals.  She used to know how to do that, but  we have been very inconsistent about practicing basic commands.  Black Jack sits from a stand at the drop of a hat because she knows that gets good results, but to do it in reverse is harder and expecting her to follow hand signals was just plain silly. 

Here, she gets it with the voice command, but I break the most basic training rule.  (Never repeat a command as the dog thinks the command is "sit, sit, sit, sit..")  Oh well, the important thing is that she and I had fun.

This is my sister's sweet dog, Rocky, adopted a few months ago.  He's an adolescent now.  Growing up is hard work, and after a walk..  well, a fella needs his rest.

This one goes all the way back to June 16th.  We were walking home from one of our outings and passed this dog grooming shop (that we've never entered). The dog in the window made us smile.

It was just about closing time and I think he was looking forward to going home.

Do the critters have to be real?  I loved this donkey(?) spotted by someone's step as we walked home from another of our outings.

And this is a photo of a painting that Bill and I admired for a long time at Harrison Galleries.  We noticed yesterday that it has disappeared, perhaps sold.  Drew Keilback is the artist, and the title of this work is Homeward Bound. Though they have the paintings lit from various angles in the gallery, there is something special to me about the way the lighting seems to come from within the painting.  The only criticism that did occur to me about this work is the perspective of the man's leg at the left.  I have zero training in art, but would be interested to know if anyone else noticed that.

The rest of the photos here were taken along False Creek over the past two days.  There isn't an obvious critter in every single one, but I know there are hidden ones in every photo.  The thing I'm learning about plants and berries is that they almost always have hosts in and around them.

This young White-crowned Sparrow (one of the few birds I seem to be able to capture lately) was in a rather desolate area along the shore.  One has to look over the stone wall to see what is happening below.  A few homeless people seem to spend time there.

I hope s/he found something with..

at least a little bit of nutritional value.

These blackberries were growing nearby.

The cormorant with sunlight on his/her back was also nearby.

Stonewashed jeans :)

Though I joke about the jeans, I dream about a day when no one would think of leaving garbage about, except at home.. and especially not in wildlife habitat.

This heron stepped over whatever that blue item is, and found..

a tasty morsel in the water.

I am not sure what to call the little fish that the herons often catch.  Perhaps, a newt?  I feel I can make out the expression of the hapless newt in this close-up.

To consume these little creatures, the herons have to work harder than one might imagine.  I've noticed the same with the cormorants.  It often takes some time to get them to stop twisting about.   

This tree is just above the area where we watched the heron.  Several people have come by, wondering what grows on that tree.  

No answers yet, so suggestions appreciated. The fruit (or nut?) is sticky to touch.

This tree is also nearby.  We've admired its blooms for several weeks, but most of them have now fallen.  I thought they looked rather like popcorn :)

It is about at this spot that we turn off the False Creek path on days when we choose to walk rather than bike.  These yellow leaves/plants popped up lately.  The White-crowned sparrows seem to live in the bushes behind that wall.  This one popped out for a second, thought the sun was..

way too hot, and disappeared back into the bushes a few moments later.

Yes, this is along False Creek as well. The Pirate Ship has been getting fine reviews and lots of business this summer.  They do a "walk the gangplank" with brave passengers, and from the laughter we've heard, it's quite a success.  But what I really want to know is whether you have spotted the critter on board.

  Here's a closer shot to give you a fighting chance of locating it.

The rest of the critters here are of the invisible variety.  This is another tree with pale green fruit.  This time, they are rounder in shape and not sticky.

Any guesses?

Finally, a small garden..

with wonderful colours and textures to close the post.  

Many thanks for stopping by.  Have a happy and peaceful Saturday.